I awoke to the shrill cry of a foal in my ear making me nearly jump out of my fur. Blinking rapidly I looked around for its source. Once I did I stared at the crying furless monkey in confusion till I remembered what happened at dawn. I was unsure as to the time and glanced over to the clock to find it only a little passed noon. I knew that even if I could go back to sleep when I did wake up around 6pm I would likely be groggy and in a foul mood. Once I decided to stay up I gently cooed to the child as I pulled her closer.

“There there little one what’s wrong are you hungry?” I asked as I carefully placed my hoof near her mouth and she quickly bit down on it with her sharp teeth. It didn’t hurt but it was cute when she made a face spitting it out and resumed crying. Having placed her on my back I get up using my wings to steady her I walked over to my door and poked my head out to see a unicorn maid standing nearby. Her fur was a very pale but pretty green and her mane and tail was a soft yellow that went well with her coat. I couldn’t see her cutie mark because of the maid’s uniform she wore. Her eyes were closed and mouth was slightly open drool dripped from her mouth slowly. The sight made me giggle slightly and it seemed to have woken her. Once she saw me her eyes blotted open in fright which were a strikingly bright blue and quickly bowed.

“Your majesty is there anything I can get for you?” She asked quickly her face pointed to the floor and voice was filled with fright.

“Please raise my little pony and yes there are a few things I need.” I walked out with my wings still spread supporting the child. Once I passed the soundproofing barrier the child’s cries echoed throughout the hall.

“Forgive me princess but I didn’t even know you were with foal or in a herd at all princess.” She said as she rose from the bow still unable to see the child on my back.

“I would suspect not since I was with neither.” I said as I hovered the child in front of her she looked at the child with widened eyes. They slowly softened as she looked her over taking note of her tail, eyes and between her legs.

“What…is she princess?” She asked confused but smiled as she tenderly nuzzled her belly trying to make the monkey stop crying thankfully not getting slapped like Tia had.

“I do not have the answer to that yet. However I believe she is hungry so please quickly retrieve milk, some fruits, vegetables, a foal bottle and some diapers if you would Miss…?” I paused waiting for her name.

“Oh Tender Care your highness but my friends call me TLC. I’ll return with your request shortly your majesty.” She said with a curt bow and turned to leave.

“Miss Tender Care if you would also bring some tea and a light snack for myself as well, I’ll defer to you judgment.”

“Of course princess.” She said with a smile and a bow before trotting off at a hurried pace to the kitchens.

“She seems friendly enough.” I said with a smile as I returned to my room with the child on my back again opening the thick curtains enough to let my sister’s sun light into my room. I looked around my room my muzzle twisting in thought as I looked at the star charts that littered my desk, walls, and even a few on the floor. Clearing the small area rug near the small long since used fire place of charts I laid down tucking my legs under myself and place my charge in front of me. When she looked up at me I smiled and her cry receded to sniffles. As I started to nuzzle her softly I focused on cleaning the room with my magic placing the old charts on my desk in a neat pile. I returned my books to their shelves and place while she grabbed hold of my face. I could hear her stomach growling as she clung to me with a surprising amount of strength for her size. Her fingers ran through my fur and I shuddered slightly at how amazingly good it felt. She wasn’t quite sniffling anymore but her eyes still said she wasn’t comfortable. Her tail gentle waved side to side slowly and I nuzzled her a little more. By the time Tender Care knocked on my door I had the room nice and tidy.

“Enter.” I stated clearly after pulling my head from the tiny child. My double doors were briefly encased with a soft green glow before they opened. Tender Care walked in shortly after pushing a service chart with to me at least seemed like far more than even I could eat if I was inclined to.

“I decided to bring extra for when she gets hungry later your highness.” She said while approaching levitating a diaper over. The child for her part was looking at the cart of food with hungry eyes and drooling with a smile on her face. Before she could make her way over Tender Care gently took hold her quickly but carefully put the diaper on her securing it with a safety pin. Afterward Tender Care quickly poured my tea and laid a tray of sliced cucumbers with olives and grated maremesan cheese one of my favorite snacks.

I thanked Tender and eyed the cart while Tender gave a bottle of milk to the baby. There were a large variety of fruits and vegetables apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, broccoli, carrots, and many other everyday fair. My attention was lost when I felt a hoof touch my shoulder. It was Tender and a look of amazement and horror was on her face as she pointed to the baby. My jaw dropped when I seen how quickly the milk was disappearing from the bottle while she held it on her own.

“Tender that bottle was only half full when you gave it to her yes?” I asked as the bottle was quickly finished off then dropped with a small clink.

“No your majesty it was completely full.” Tender said a tiny bit of fear in her voice as the hungry little one began to move toward my snack. We didn’t stop her as she grabbed one and smelled it making a slightly disgusted face before eating it in one bite and moved on to another. The entire plate was gone in mere seconds.

“Miss Tender please have word sent that I wish to see my sister here at once, make it sound urgent.” I instructed as I brought down five apples placing them in front of the bottomless pit that was a furless monkey.

“Yes your majesty right away.” She said quietly before galloping out the door quickly. I watched in fascination as the child ate all five apples core, seeds, and all. By the time she got back panting heavily the child had already eaten three peaches expect the pits and was working on the fourth.

“Word has been…where did the apples go?!” Tender nearly shouted breaking protocol not that I would ever care but I was far too shocked at what I was looking at.

“G-gone…core and all I think she even ate the stems.” I spoke barley above a whisper as I brought down carrots, broccoli, and a bundle of celery. I felt the familiar tingle of my sister’s teleportation spell as the child began on the veggies.

“Luna what is the matter are you alright!?!” She asked sounding on the verge of panic.

“Watch.” Tender and I said pointing a hoof each at the baby having not even turned to acknowledge Tia. In short order the child consumed what lay before her. I heard the loud thump of my sister’s flank hitting the marble floor. I glanced at her seeing her mouth open and close wordlessly her eyes wide in shock. Deciding to test the limits of the child’s belly I summoned a watermelon and quickly cut it into quarters and placed them down. She ate almost half of the first quarter before look of discomfort appeared on her face. When she began to cry Tender walked over patting the infant on the back a few times. When she did a sound came from the child that had no right coming from something so small. A loud echoing burly burp bounced off the walls of my chamber and a look of relief filled her features then finished off what she started. Much to our surprise, relief, and amazement the other three quarters were ignored as she began to crawl away.

“Tender please look after her while the two of us talk.”

“Yes your Majesty.” She said with a small bow. “I am not looking forward to changing this thing’s diaper.” She said with a visible shudder that was echoed by me and Tia which snapped her out of her shock.

“How much did she eat before I arrived?” Tia asked looking at me with worry.

“An entire foal’s bottle of milk, a plate of my cucumber snacks, 5 apples core, seeds, and stems, 4 peaches, and everything you just witnessed.” I brought over one of the uneaten quarters of melon over and before munching on it myself even though something inside me said I should have lost my appetite form the gluteness display.

“Luna please please tell me this is just a joke.” Tia asked while looking at me in disbelief.

After spitting out a melon seed I replied. “Sorry Celestia but you know how I feel about lying. I do hope that this will not be a regular thing hopefully she only ate that much because she was in that strange metal thing for you knows how long without eating.” I then watched tender care trying and nearly failing to keep the little one under control.

“I-I hope so too Luna.” Celestia said softly as she also watched the baby and Tender begin to play with a small alphabet block that she had pulled from under the cart. “If that was normal for her now what would she be like later in life?”

“That is a good and potentially frightening question.” I said with a smile as I heard a cute giggle. “Though you make it sound like she’s going to be her for a while.”

Celestia then brought one of the uneaten pieces of melon over and joined me in eating. “In all honestly Luna the thing she came here in, while we have only just begun to study it we would have better luck understanding Discord’s mind than that device.” She said with a huff and spat out a few seeds herself onto the plate that once held my snack.

“Is it truly that far beyond us?” I brought over a few more pieces of fruit and veggies for us to nibble on if there was one thing we both shared in it was that we were stress eaters. Celestia a little more so than myself since she had to deal with the nobles more offend.

“Yes since it isn’t run by magic, or at least any that we are familiar with we could study it for decades and learn next to nothing.” She then poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip. “It’s strange though not long after you retired for the day it began making noises that might have been speech.”

“From the tone in your voice can I assume translation spells have been useless?” I Asked as I motioned for Tender to bring the child over.

“Mostly we were able to understand a single word but the experts believe even that one can’t be right. I am inclined to agree with them.” Celestia said as she rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof.

“What was this word?” I asked as I playfully poked the infant with a hoof and she pushed back against me.

“It sounded like fennel if it was spelled wrong “Fenn-le”.” Celestia had a hard time saying and after hearing it I understood why.

“What do you suppose it means?” I asked a playful smile on my muzzle as I rest my head down the little thing’s chest gently pinning her down tickling her with my fur.

“I don’t know perhaps it’s her name?” Tia offered questioningly. “Although it would be strange that she would have a name so similar to our ponies don’t you think?”

“Yes I agree with you on that sister. Perhaps we should give her one fitting her uniqueness?” I asked as she pushed up on my head lifting it which surprised me a little.

“What about Mony?”

“Mony as in short for monkey? Really Celestia is that the best you can do?”

“I’d like to see you do better “little” sister.”

“Alright I will.” I stated confidently as I looked around for inspiration when I saw bright yellow bananas still on the cart Tender had brought. “Inanna.” I said with a proud smile as I nuzzled the newly named child.

“Inanna?” Sister and Tender repeated with a twisted look of confusion on their muzzles.

“Care to explain how you came up with that your Majesty?” Tender asked as she sat down near Inanna using her tail to play with the baby.

“Well if that strange sounding fennel word was indeed her name why not use something similar but much easier to say that’s when I seen those.” I explained and pointed to the bananas.

“hmm…Inanna…” Celestia hummed softly rubbing her chin with a hoof. “I like it, simple yet different. What about for a last name?”

“That I haven’t come up with yet, any ideas?” I asked Tia as Inanna began crawling away. The three of us sat in thought for a moment forgetting about the baby. I continued munching on the melon Tender joining in on the last piece. While Tia was busy with her tea sipping thoughtfully. I looked over to Inanna to try and come up with something when she approached the large globe of Equus. She grabbed hold of one of the three legs and with a mighty yank threw the stand globe and all between myself and Tia. Our eyes bulged as we moved our heads to dodge it on reflex. The projectile hit the wall with a loud crunch the stand broke into pieces and the globe split in two along it’s seem. The two halves rolled slowly one half stopping in front of me the other Tia.

“Rather powerful for one so tiny…” Tia said in clear shock as she repaired the globe with her magic.

“Very true Sister and I think her should reflect that. What do you thick of Vis?” I asked as I pulled the child over and cradled her in my arms.

“Vis? As in the old Alicatin word for power? I think it is a very fitting name Luna.” She said with a soft smile as she looked at us.

With a happy smile I held the baby in front of me. “From now on you shall be called Inanna Vis.”

Author's Note

Sorry about the huge delay for such a small chapter been having trouble getting off my but to sit down and right. Fallout is continuing to be a distraction for me. Getting to work on Hunter right now.

Alicatin = Latin